England legend Bob Willis passes away at age of 70  

Willis, a fast bowler, also captained England from 1981-1984.

Bob Willis in his heydays as England fast bowlerFormer England captain and legend Bob Willis passed away on December 4, 2019, at the age of 70 after battling thyroid cancer.

Willis enjoyed a long career for a fast bowler, playing 90 Tests for England, picking 325 wickets. He had made his debut against Australia in the 1970-71 Ashes series and decided to retire against the West Indies in 1984. 

We are heartbroken to lose our beloved Bob, who was an incredible husband, father, brother, and grandfather. He made a huge impact on everybody he knew and we will miss him terribly,” said his family in a statement. He is survived by his wife Lauren, daughter Katie, brother David and sister Ann.

He is known for his contribution in helping England win that impossible Test match at Headingly in 1981 when Ian Botham ransacked Australian bowling with a valiant century. Willis picked 8/45 as England defended a small total of 130 runs and won the Test by 18 runs and went on to win the Ashes as well.

He led the England team into the semi-finals of 1983 World Cup where they were defeated by eventual winners India. After retiring from the game, he forged a solid career in media and was most recently an acerbic and popular pundit on Sky Sports' post-match show, The Verdict.

(ESPNCricinfo.com inputs)

 
 

By Jatin Sharma - 04 Dec, 2019

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